Mentorship as a tool of transformation in the navy
Date
2011-10-24
Authors
Mnguni, Makhaza George
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Abstract
This research report focuses on mentorship programme as a tool of transformation in the SA Navy. The first chapter of the paper provides a historical perspective of transformation in the SA Navy. It traces back the process of transformation by making reference to the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service, 1996, the White Paper on Defence and the process of defence review. It is further outlined that mentorship as a tool for skills transfer has always been embedded in the SA Navy’s culture of force preparation, managed successfully through the divisional system (Chain of command).
The failure of mentorship programme in the SA Navy is attributed to various factors as expounded in the problem statement, and there are three dimensions that are identified as the centre of the problem. The first dimension is that mentorship is not conceived as an integral part of leadership and management’s responsibility. The second dimension is that the majority of people in the middle and senior positions of leadership and management are white males, and they appear to be the centre of gravity against transformation. The third dimension is that the Department of Defence’s Human Resource Strategy 2010 has drastic implications on the future employability of a large segment of white males, who in essence are required to drive the strategy. This strategy seeks to address demographic representation within the SANDF (SA Navy).
The literature review (Chapters 2 and 3) focuses on discourses around the nature and origin of mentorship, the role of power, human behaviour and organisations as social entities. The concepts of mentorship, power, change and organisation are explored in depth. The linking of these concepts enriches our understanding of how organisations work, how people compete for scarce resources, how power can be used to protect interests or even derail or advance change imperatives. On the other hand that provided the theoretical basis for analysing the impact of power distribution imbalances in organisations, in relation to mentorship in the SA Navy.
Chapter 4 focuses on the research methodology and design, and Chapter 5 presents the general perceptions on the implementation of mentorship programme in the SA Navy, by presenting the data collected and the analysis thereof. In this chapter analysis of the data collected through the questionnaires takes place, and the views of protégés that are enrolled in the mentorship programme in the SA Navy are presented. The last chapter provides the findings and the recommendations of this research
Description
MM thesis - P&DM
Keywords
Transformation, South African navy, Mentorship